Storybook Farm Inc
We give childhoods back to children.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
National statistics from 2016 identifying the state of childhoods in the United States is staggering. 17.1 million children have mental health issues like depression, anxiety, ADHD and behavior problems. 15 million children live in families with incomes below the federal poverty threshold. 1.5 million children will lose one or both parents before age 15. One out of every 62 children are diagnosed with ASD (autism spectrum disorder). 2.8 million children have a disability. 700,000 children are victims of abuse each year. This is a problem. We believe childhoods should not be overshadowed by hardships. We are the place parents turn to when their children are in crisis. Storybook Farm is specially designed to meet children at their point of need. We serve those who face mental health issues, physical and cognitive challenges, developmental delays, communication disorders, chronic and terminal illnesses, disabilities, and countless other situations.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Hope on Horseback
Once upon the time, there were some very special horses who helped some very special children. Every day, the horses lent their backs for riding and their hearts for healing. News spread across the land and children came from far and wide to experience Storybook Farm's hope on horseback program.
Like all programs at Storybook Farm, no family ever pays even a penny to participate. Imagine the impact the word "free" has on families facing hardships and heartaches.
Since 2002, over 10,000 children braving all types of adversity have traversed through our fairytale land, experienced unconditional love from our animals and encouragement from our hundreds of Auburn University student body volunteers.
Short Stories
Small in stature. Large in learning. Storybook’s miniature horses and donkeys help children stretch their comfort zone and enhance critical developmental milestones. This pint-size fun removes the intimidation factor of large animals and accelerates learning.
Horse Sense
We’re better together. It’s all about teamwork. Patience. Communication. Respect. Compromise. Easier said than done if your teammate is a 1000-pound horse. In learning how to care for horses, a child builds a vocabulary in the common language of kindness and understanding. Kids learn hands-on horsemanship skills, horse health, and equine anatomy.
Discovery Trail
It’s a natural fit. There is something incredibly powerful that nature and nature only is capable of doing to a kid’s mind and body. It decreases stress. It builds mindfulness and character and teaches responsibility. Its loose parts of sticks and stones develop inquisitive minds and authentic learning. Kids immerse themselves in nature, experiencing a woodland environment while playing engaging games and learning about the world around them.
The Secret Garden
Can you dig it? Our little sprouts do! Kids harvest a bunch more than just food and flowers. They discover science and math while being immersed in a sensory cornucopia of fragrant rosemary, colorful tomatoes, and sun-soaked strawberries.
Storybook Tails
They’re a special breed. With tails wagging, our pups make a huge difference in kid’s physical independence and emotional well-being. They build self-esteem and responsibility, encourage social skills, and help manage emotions. As the most patient and non-judgmental listeners, Storybook's dogs provide a supportive environment for participants to practice their reading skills and thrive.
Where we work
External reviews

Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of books distributed
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
1,200+ books were provided to participants over 2022.
Number of volunteers
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Over 1,000 local community members and student volunteers from Auburn University fueled the success of Storybook's mission to change childhoods in 2022.
Number of total participants
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Storybook Farm is on a mission to change childhood. Our desire is for every child to experience the remarkable healing power of animals. In 2002, we began meeting the needs of a handful of children in Auburn, Alabama with the backs of just three horses. Now over twenty years later, Storybook Farm welcomes over 3,200 children annually from 6 counties across Alabama and Georgia - with the help of 30+ animals and over 1,000 volunteers.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
At Storybook, children learn naturally. Our strategy to improve the overall well-being of children and their families is a three-fold approach.
First, in Paddington Station and Emerald City Arenas, children experience life from a different vantage point - the back of a horse. Horseback riding is a fun recreational activity. It also provides many intrinsic benefits including emotional and psychological encouragement, physical development, improved cognitive and communication skills, greater self-confidence and self-assurance as well as endless educational opportunities. Developing and improving all these skills are essential for growth and maturity.
Second, we believe dogs are good for kids. They have an innate ability to read emotions; they are loyal and have an affinity for hugs and kisses. They teach lessons on responsibility, selflessness, compassion and thinking on your feet. With these points in mind, we created two canine areas: the Fox and the Hound Playground, a two-acre dog park and Ribsy’s Dog House home of Storybook Tails, a literacy initiative.
Third, in our world of wonder and whimsy, spending time outdoors is not only beneficial, but a necessity. In the Secret Garden and on Flat Stanley’s Sensory Trail, children engage with nature, stimulate the senses, strengthen fine motor skills, and some discover (for the first time) tomatoes, cucumbers and watermelons grow on vines not in grocery stores! Nature sparks the imagination and is a catalyst for all kinds of questions about the earth and the life it supports.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
We serve individual families, groups and school classrooms with no regard for situation or financial ability. No child must “qualify” to participate. We support 24 local and regional youth non-profits as well and provide all programming at no charge.
When our barn doors opened in 2002, I could never have imagined the Storybook of today:
- Providing six educational programs: Hope on Horseback (hands-on experiences with horses), Storybook Tails (reading initiative with kids and canine companions), Flat Stanley's Sensory Trail (nature trail to engage the senses), Fox and the Hound Playground (2-acre dog park for play with Storybook's canines), The Secret Garden (harvest seasonal vegetables, herbs and fruit trees to encourage sustainable living) and Pixie Hollow (engagement with Storybook's miniature horses, donkeys and goats)
- Utilizing a 51-acre farm including Paddington Station and Emerald City riding arenas, Prancing Pony Pavilion and the Papa Bear Horse Center
Our infrastructure was completed in 2005. It supported 200 annual participants and 12 horses. As the years rolled along, we found there to be a few shortcomings that inhibited our mission. We did not have sufficient indoor areas for educational activities and adverse weather often hampered our ability to hold programs. Our volunteer base outgrew the workspace provided to develop children’s programming. We lacked private meeting room for parents and supporters to discuss confidential matters. and adequate housing for an increasing equine staff. We operated in conditions above what our accommodations could adequately provide for many years. To try and keep up with the demand for our services, we created temporary equine housing as more horses joined our team, repurposed our children's library to store riding tack, and moved feed supplies into our tool storage shed. Unfortunately, it finally reached a point where growing pains limited our impact and our accommodations could stretch no further.
In Spring 2019, thanks to immense support from businesses and foundations, we finally began designing a facility on par with the needs of our community. The result was the new Papa Bear Horse Center, a 10,000+ sq. ft. facility created thanks to our incredible partners, Stone Martin Builders and the Peyton Anderson Foundation. Home to both horses and hope, this barn remedies several crucial insufficiencies present in the original barn. The expansion has been transformative. The Papa Bear Horse Center advances us one step closer to our vision that all children have the opportunity to experience the power of the human-animal bond. To that end, we introduced more horses to our program to serve the hundreds of children currently on our waitlist. As of 2022, over 3,000 children had access to opportunities that foster education, friendship, and healing.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
We’ve all experienced the power of a place. It moves you. It connects you. Moments like that are organic and visceral at Storybook Farm. We boast a culture built on relationships. We draw limitless inspiration from literature and reap unique opportunities to spark exploration and learning. We are THAT place for thousands of children and volunteers each year.
Storybook Farm was named the "2009 Farm of Distinction" by the Lee County Farm City Committee. In the fall of 2011, Storybook Farm received "The Partnership of the Year Award" presented by the East Alabama Governor's Committee as well as a "Certificate of Appreciation" from the United States Department of Agriculture for work with individuals with disabilities. In addition, Storybook Farm was featured in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's "Healthy Pets and Healthy People" website in the fall of 2013. Chick-fil-A recognized Storybook Farm with the November 2013 "Community and Character Counts" award. In 2017, Storybook Farm was named Small Business of the Quarter by the Opelika Chamber of Commerce. In 2018, Dena Little, Storybook Farm's Founder, received a resolution by the Senate of Alabama for professional achievement and service to the community. In 2018 and 2019, Storybook Farm was awarded Best Service Organization by Hull Property Group’s Auburn Summer Showcase. In 2019, Dena Little was recognized by the Jr. League of Lee County as a Distinguished Woman of Service.
At Storybook, children learn about animals and friendship, but even more importantly they learn about themselves. Helping a child overcome adversity through the power of the human-animal bond is why we do what we do.
We welcome individual families, groups and classrooms with no regard for situation or financial ability. No child must “qualify” to participate; we are here to serve any child in need of our life-changing experiences. Additionally, we support 24 local and regional youth non-profits that attend Storybook Farm field trips and annual family-centered holiday parties.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We share the feedback we received with the people we serve, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Storybook Farm Inc
Board of directorsas of 10/29/2023
Paul Willis
Stone Martin Builders
Term: 2019 - 2025
Bobby Greenawalt
B&B Beverage Management
Term: 2021 - 2025
Paul Willis
Stone Martin Builders
Bobby Greenawalt
B&B Beverage Management
Eloise Stewart
Eloise Design Co
Rett Moncrief
CB&S Bank
John Whittenburg
Smart Bank
Telly Stratus
Auburn Sports Properities
Marty Williams
Machen McChesney
Lindsey Boone
Auburn University Veterinary Teaching Hospital
Todd Scholl
Ithaka Hospitality Partners
Dennis Davis
Bridge Senior Living
Steven Bobo
University of Alabama Hospital
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
No data
No data
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 10/05/2023GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.